Machine for marking wire, cable, rods, and the like



May 10, 1949. 2,470,075

MACHINE FOR MARKING W IRE, CABLE, RODS, AND THE LIKE C. F. ROBBINS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 3, 1945 1 1N- All Ssh l ,m H I I: l I! l O I.I|H M; l 0 x l k I III! Q ll m m i oh MN H M W b\ M I! ll I I. q u mm 3 mm May 10, 1949. 2,470,075

' MACHINE FOR MARKING WIRE, CABLE, RODS, AND THE LIKE c. F. ROBBINS 3 Sheets$heet 2 Filed March 3, 1945 12223922302 Cfiaflzes Fflozizm, 4y H QMQ WW May 10, 1949. c. ROBBINS 2,470,075

MACHINE FOR MARKING WIRE, CABLE, RODS, AND THE LIKE Filed March 3, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 atented May 10, 1949 MACHINE FOR MARKING WIRE, CABLE, RODS, AND THE LIKE Charles F. Robbins, Keene, N. H., assignor to Markem Machine Company, Keene, N. H., a corporation of New Hampshire Application March 3, 1945, rSerial No. 580,761

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a machine for marking or making a printed impression on wire, cables and the like and particularly to a machine which is constructed so as to make the markings or imprints on opposite sides of the wire and throughout the length of the wire.

In many electrical installations that involve a piurality of circuits, it is the common practice to have the wires of each circuit marked with some identifying indicia so that the wires of any one circuit can be readily distinguished from those of any other circuit.

One of the objects of my invention is to pr vide a novel machine for thus marking wire which is relatively simple in construction and which can be readily adjusted to make the desired markings on wires of different sizes.

Further objects of the invention are to provide various improvements in wire marking machines which will be more fully hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the means for drivin the printing wheels.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of wire or cable which has been marked with my improved machine.

As stated above the machine herein illustrated is designed to make the identifying imprints on both sides of a wire or cable and throughout the length thereof as illustrated in Fig. 4, which shows a short length of insulated wire or cable I which has marking or imprints 2 on opposite sides thereof. The markings or imprints 2 may be of any desired character, either in the form of some design or in the form of letters or figures. The markings in Fig. 4 are shown as diamond-shaped imprints arranged in pairs and extending lengthwise of the wire or cable.

The machine for thus marking the wire comprises two printing wheels 3 and 4 between which the wire I is fed, each wheel having on its periphery the proper type characters to make the desired imprint on the wire. These printing wheels 3 and 5 are mounted in a suitable frame formed in two sections which can be adjusted toward and from each other, each frame section carrying one of the printing wheels so that by the adjustment of the frame sections relative to each other the printing wheels can be adjusted toward and from each other to accommodate wires of different sizes. In the particular embodiment of my invention herein illustrated the two sections of the supporting frame are indicated at 5 and 6. The section 5 is illustrated as a stationary base section which is provided with a vertically extending plate element 1 in which the printing wheel 3 is mounted, said wheel being carried by a shaft -8 that is journaled in the plate I. This base section '5 is also constructed to support the motor 9 b which the printing wheels are operated.

The printing wheel 4 is rotatively mounted'in the other frame section 6 which is in the form of a vertically extendin plate situated directly above and in the same vertical plane as the plate element "l. The two plate elements 6 and! are pivotally connected at one of their alined vertical edges as indicated at I0. For this purpose the plate section I has, a strap ll attached thereto adjacent said vertical edge which extends above the upper edge of said plate section as indicated at [2, and the plate element 6 is pivoted to said upper end l2 by the pivot pin H3. The upper plate element 6 is also provided at the other vertical edge With a lateral projection !3 which has an adjusting screw [4 screw threaded therethrough, said screw l4 resting on the upper end lb of a bracket element It which is secured to the corresponding vertical edge of the lower plate element 1 by means of bolts I'I. By adjusting the screw l4 in its block 13, the left hand end of the frame section or plate element 6 in Fi 2 will be raised or lowered, thereby moving the printing wheel 4 away from or toward the printin wheel 3.

The printing wheel ii is mounted on a shaft I8 which extends through and is journaled in the frame section 6, and means, which will be presently described, are provided for rotating the two printing wheels at the same peripheral speed.

Means are provided for supplying ink to each printing wheel. The printing Wheel 3 receives its ink supply directly from an inking vroll H] which is journaled in and receives its ink supply from a suitable ink reservoir 20 that is supported on a stud 2| extending laterally from the plate member I. The reservoir 20 is mounted on the stud 2i so that it can turn thereabout, and said reservoir is provided with an adjusting screw'22 which engages an abutment or lug 23 on the frame section 5 and by which the inkin roll l9 can be adjusted relative to the printing roll 3 so as to have the proper contact therewith,

For inking the printing roll 4, there is provided an ink-distributing roll 24 which is mounted on a shaft 25 carried by the plate element or frame section 6 and which engages the printing wheel 4, and there is also provided, an inking rpll 26 similar to the inking roll l9 which is journaled in and carried by an ink reservoir 21 that is hung on a stud 28 extending laterally from the frame section 6. The ink reservoir 21 is also provided with an adjusting screw 29 engaging an abutment 30 and by which the said reservoir 21 can 3 be properly adjusted to obtain the correct contact between the inking roll and the ink-distributing roll 24.

The means for operating the printing rolls at the same peripheral surface speed also include means for rotating the inking roll l9 at the same surface speed as the printing roll 3, for rotating the ink-distributing roll 24 at the same peripheral speed as that of the printing roll 4, and further for rotating the inking roll 26 at the same peripheral speed as that of the distributing roll 24. The mechanism for thus driving the printing rolls and the rolls of the inking means is best seen in Fig. 3. The shafts 8 and I8 carrying the printing rolls extend through the portions 1 and 6 of the frame and have on their projecting ends sprocket wheels 3| and 32 respectively which are engaged by a sprocket chain 33. The sprocket wheels 3| and 32 have the same relative size as the printing wheels 3 and 4. The shaft 34 of the inking roll I9 also extends through the portion 1 of the frame and has a sprocket wheel 35 thereon which is engaged by said sprocket chain 33. The shaft 25 of the ink-distributing roll 24 also extends through the frame section B and has on its pro jecting end a sprocket wheel 36 that meshes with the sprocket chain 33. The shaft 3? of the inking roll 26 similarly extends through the frame section 6 and carries at its projecting end a sprocket wheel 38 that is engaged by the sprocket chain 33.

The sprocket chain 33 extends over the sprocket wheel 35 which drives the inking roll l9 and then under and around the outside of the sprocket wheel 3i which drives the printing roll 3, thence around the inside of the sprocket wheel 32 which drives the printing roll 4, and thence over the sprocket wheel 36 which drives the ink-distributing roll 24, and thence under the sprocket wheel 38 which drives the inking roll 26. With this arrangement the printing wheels 3 and 4 will be rotated in opposite directions and the rolls of the inking mechanism will be rotated in the proper direction to have rolling contact with the printing rolls. The relative sizes of the various sprocket wheels is such that the printing wheels and inking rolls will all rotate at the same surface speed.

The sprocket chain 33 is driven from the motor 9, for which purpose said motor is geared to a shaft 39 by suitable reducing gear 40, and this shaft 39 which is journaled in the frame section has a sprocket wheel 4! thereon over which the sprocket chain 33 passes.

42 indicates a take-up sprocket which engages the sprocket chain 33 and which is journaled in a bracket 43' that is pivoted to the frame at 44 and is acted upon by a pulling spring 45 which is anchored at one end to the frame as shown at 46 and at the other end is connected to a hook shaped arm 41 with which the bracket 43 is provided. This sprin 45 tends to move the take-up sprocket wheel downwardly and thereby keeps the sprocket chain 33 under proper tension.

This take-up device also permits up and down adjustment of the frame section 6 to adjust the printing wheels toward and from each other without interfering in any way with the operative connections between the motor and the printing wheels.

The wire I' is fed to the machine through a suitable guiding device 48 which is shown as having a trumpet shape and which is carried by a supporting bracket 49 with its small end relatively close to the printing rolls.

The wire 1 may be fed through the machine solely by the engagement of the printing rolls therewith, in which case the rolls 3 and 4 function as combined feed rolls and printing rolls, or the wire may be drawn through the printing rolls by any suitable means.

In the machine herein illustrated, the printing rolls 3 and 4 each carry a single series of type characters 50 but it would be within my invention to provide each type wheel with a plurality of series of type characters so that a plurality of wires could be fed through the machine and printed simultaneously.

An advantage derived from using two separate ink reservoirs is that the imprint which is made on each side of the wire may be of a different color from that made on the other side of the wire.

Although I have above described the invention as used for marking wire, yet I wish it understood that the device is equally applicable for marking wire cable or even for marking rods, tubes and the like. Hence I do not regard the claim as being limited to the marking of wire. The term wire as used in the claim is intended to be broad enough to include cables or even rods or tubes.

I claim:

A machine for marking wire comprising a supporting frame presenting a stationary base section having a vertically extending lower plate element, an upper vertically extending plate element situated directly above and in the same vertical plane as the lower plate element, means at one vertical edge of the lower plate element for pivot-all connecting said upper plate element thereto, a shaft journaled in the lower plate element, a lower printing wheel carried b said shaft, a second shaft journaled in the upper plate element, an upper printing wheel carried by said second shaft, an inking mechanism for each printing wheel provided with an ink roll for feeding ink to the corresponding printing wheel, a sprocket wheel on each shaft, a sprocket wheel rigid with each ink roll, a drive shaft journaled in the lower plate element, a driving sprocket wheel on said drive shaft, a sprocket chain engaging all of said sprocket wheels whereby rotation of the drive shaft rotates both the printing wheels and the ink rolls, and means at the other vertical edges of said plate elements for turning the upper plate element about its pivot thereby to adjust the space between the printing rolls to accommodat the size of the wire to be printed.

CHARLES F. ROBBINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 18,056 Granger Apr. 28, 1931 1,367,066 McDonough Feb. 1, 1921 1,369,450 Manss Feb. 22, 1921 1,587,772 Granger June 8, 1926 2,041,574 Smallen May 19, 1936 2,109,590 Kimball Mar. 1, 1938 2,211,793 Rohland Aug. 20, 1940 2,351,224 Nystrom June 13, 1944 

